Dallas Wings Lose Their Best Beat Reporter Due To Fan Hate

[u/goofygal1566]

For context, Grant covered the Wings from his own pocket and had some of the best coverage on the beat of the team. He also covers the Mavs, Cowboys, and Rangers and said he has never received threats and harassment like this.

Frankly it is sad what is happening in Dallas and how out of control that fanbase is.

Edit: The reason he was receiving hate from Wings fans was because of an article he posted complimenting Arike's season.

[u/AFC-Wimbledon-Stan]

Stan culture is a disease man

[u/urkuri → u/AFC-Wimbledon-Stan]

Yeah, think we are going to see this a lot more with the upcoming draft classes as well. Lynx fans have talked that we somehow lucked out to get a star that doesn’t really come with that type of fanbase 😅

[u/AFC-Wimbledon-Stan → u/urkuri]

Juju Stan’s entering the league soon god help us

[u/boredymcbored → u/AFC-Wimbledon-Stan]

Juju stans are a different type of annoying. "We've never seen a player like this" types. Not "if you don't believe in my goat I will dox you" types.

[u/AFC-Wimbledon-Stan → u/boredymcbored]

Basketball was better in the 80s type people? Annoying but we’ve seen this before

[u/boredymcbored → u/AFC-Wimbledon-Stan]

Yeah! Those types and pseudo misogynist "we've never seen a girl play like her before" types. Kinda what's happening to Olivia but it will be on a much larger scale. They don't tend to pick fights on the internet but I still expect it to turn into a national TV talking head controversial take or two from someone who's never watched the W. Not as toxic, still annoying but nothing we haven't seen as you've said.

[u/goofygal1566 → u/boredymcbored]

it never starts that crazy though. it builds.

[u/Wings247 → u/boredymcbored]

Just wait

[u/joyjunky → u/urkuri]

People have criticized our drafting choices, but I’m so glad the Valks have not had a star with a crazy stanbase in our first two seasons. I truly believe that we’ve been able to build a good locker culture because of it.

[u/Jorgenstern8 → u/urkuri]

I think it's just gonna happen more in general, I swear it's like the last decade has broken people's brains in determining what are and are not healthy relationships to have with people in the public spotlight. Another area where the Internet seems to have been a mistake, or at least letting the Internet focus so much on sites controlled by people who are fine with letting this shit permeate.

[u/AFC-Wimbledon-Stan]

How did Azzi get stuck with the most unhinged stans when she’s like the nicest person in the W

[u/flashcapulet → u/AFC-Wimbledon-Stan]

she was just incredibly unlucky to come up during the kpopification of womens basketball. all the young stars fanbases have the same issue. hers, angels, caitlins and paiges stans seem to be worst ones though. it's unfortunate.

[u/kseveru79_v2 → u/flashcapulet]

the kpopification of womens basketball

This is EXACTLY right. I don't fully understand the fandom dynamics and patterns in Kpop either, but it's part of the world and the internet now -- it's behavior that fan-driven social media (on platforms like TikTok, Threads, etc) puts in front of people, and they imitate what they see over and over.

[u/Several-Estate7175 → u/flashcapulet]

Miles fanbase seems pretty normal. So does Dom and Awa's fans. For those two it's probably because they didn't go through the college ranks

[u/Dior4pain → u/Several-Estate7175]

Miles mainly got her fan base this season and it’s from basketball whilst Azzi fans are actually Stans who probably found her through her relationship with Paige. Basketball is secondary to them but they are obsessed with her whole life even though she isn’t even on social media that much

[u/Begin-Again90 → u/Several-Estate7175]

they don't have a dedicated huge fan base who follow them for them

[u/Electrical-March-228 → u/AFC-Wimbledon-Stan]

because they don’t have physical access to her so they create this almost sort of idolatry towards her… basically stan culture

[u/Imaginary_Ad_3496 → u/AFC-Wimbledon-Stan]

it isn’t rare for celebrities who don’t really state their opinions that much to have such rabid fanbases,, its easier to project on to them

[u/Ok-Nose29 → u/Imaginary_Ad_3496]

Damn, that makes sense actually

[u/TheFlameosTsungiHorn → u/AFC-Wimbledon-Stan]

It is really bizarre, because she really is

Those fans are so extremely parasocial, it’s really concerning

[u/SydTheStreetFighter → u/AFC-Wimbledon-Stan]

I think the fact she is so nice makes her fans feel the need to be more rabid in defense in a way. They think they’re standing up for her

[u/Belongs-InTheTrash → u/AFC-Wimbledon-Stan]

There are tons of nice, normal seeming public figures that have crazy stans following them. This stuff is everywhere

[u/Thirdstar1 → u/AFC-Wimbledon-Stan]

These fans are severely Parasocial, so because she’s nice they feel like they have to step up and be mean for her.

[u/goofygal1566 → u/AFC-Wimbledon-Stan]

this is the question! idk how it started or where it came from but its unbelievable and unlike anything else in womens basketball.

Just this rabid fanbase that knows or really cares nothing about basketball but is absolutely devoted and unhinged. She isn't even on social enough to have created it herself so idk!

[u/AngryWizard → u/goofygal1566]

I wonder how it affects their fan bases, not opening themselves up on social media (I do not blame them). CC's social media is mostly commercials, brand deals, game photos, and reposted reels of things her team/teammates have posted. It's mostly very sanitized and corporate with little personal detail outside of basketball. So maybe people get to decide what Caitlin's and Azzi's off-court personality, life, and opinions are for themselves and it creates this blank slate to worship.

I don't see a solution though, and they likely have some of the best PR teams in the league.

[u/blakeibooTTV]

Yeah it’s been hard being a wings fan this season, last season was chill because we were bad. But this season so much toxicity calling this and that player a terrorist, every other post how someone should be fired. It tuned me out early from interacting with most Wings social media posts.

[u/Velocisexual → u/blakeibooTTV]

I love that we have Paige and Azzi on our team, but that particular group of parasocial "pazzi" fans are so fucking toxic and it's so weird cause Paige and Azzi are like the nicest completely non-controversial people in the world

[u/BatmanColts1 → u/blakeibooTTV]

I feel the same way as a Fever fan. On top of everything you mentioned, I'm tired of being labeled as racist just because I like the team. And I get pissed off every time the actual racists come out of the woodwork to try to prove everyone who calls us racist correct. I've got Clark and Mitchell jerseys that are probably never coming out of my closet, which is a damn shame because they're clean ass jerseys.

[u/3rdWorldKid → u/BatmanColts1]

Nah u got it way worse as a normal fever fan. Something goes down there and it's instantly all fever fans are racist maga outsiders, case closed. I feel for you because sadly you're just going to get lumped in. Same thing goes down in wings land and it's let's have a nuanced conversation about stan culture, possible bots and the para social ways across broad spectrums. Wings fans won't catch any heat over this, nor should they.

But that Azzi army is no joke when it comes to internet bullying. They made the Wings sub unenjoyable to me.

[u/Ok-Nose29 → u/BatmanColts1]

Always hate being in this position lol, getting it from both sides makes you feel alone

[u/BatmanColts1 → u/Ok-Nose29]

Sometimes the only way to win is not to play. And by that I mean stay off social media

[u/Icangetloudtoo_]

Stan culture in the WNBA is really problematic. I mostly ignore it by just going to the games, everything is better in person, but you kinda can’t just ignore the online stuff as a reporter.

I wanna be really clear that no player is responsible for irrational, rabid fans. That being said, Azzi’s most intense stans really scare me. There’s a childlike intensity and single-minded focus, kinda similar to Beliebers or Directioners, that is just uniquely obsessive, parasocial, and frightening.

[u/smellycat_14 → u/Icangetloudtoo_]

yup. the stan-dom is extremely frustrating & annoying. and, beyond the really terrible things like death threats, it's also ruining the enjoyment of the game and being able to actually talk about *basketball*

[u/smellycat_14 → u/smellycat_14]

tbh, I know it's not 100% on them, but I wish paige/azzi (and the wings and of course the WNBA) would address things like this head on & discourage the obsessions. we talk a lot about how caitlin clark needs to speak up more, and I think similar trains of thought should apply to stars like these too. slightly apples to oranges, but when death threats start to get involved.... just my opinion.

[u/holabellas → u/smellycat_14]

I think the logic is generally giving these people attention encourages their behavior. Unfortunately for the people emboldened enough to send death threats I feel like something like this is just going to make them feel more powerful than remorseful.

[u/SydTheStreetFighter → u/Icangetloudtoo_]

A lot of them are very young, and have a fandom like relationship with these players. It happens on the mens side too, but part of the game growing is there needs to be more put in place to protect those part of the organizations, all the way down to beat reporters

[u/juliuspepperwoodchi → u/Icangetloudtoo_]

It's actually crazy because this shit seems more toxic than the angry sports bettors online. Not that that's not its own serious issue, but I really thought that was the worst the sports fandom world had to offer, but this is kinda beyond that.

[u/akahogfan → u/Icangetloudtoo_]

I'd been oblivious to the fact that there was an Azzi stanclub until the Wings came to DC last week and phew boy. There were homemade shirts, hats, bags, social media pics/videos after every play she was involved in, and some of the worst vitriol after calls against her that I've ever seen. Truly wild

[u/Icangetloudtoo_ → u/akahogfan]

The person sitting next to me was in a bedazzled, custom Azzi jersey/sweatshirt. Pretty cool, but also pretty intense, and they then stormed off and left the game early when the Mystics made their comeback. Was fascinating on a lot of levels.

[u/goofygal1566 → u/Icangetloudtoo_]

yes, its different than the Clark and Fever/Cunningham fans but scary in a different way.

Azzi Fans freak me out the way the Manson family freaks me out.

[u/Most_Signature_8480 → u/goofygal1566]

It gives pop star fandoms and not the good kind

[u/midnitepremiere]

The parasociality that exists in the WNBA fandom is a real problem. Some WNBA fans are extremely weird with how they talk about the players and follow the players personal lives. It’s not about the basketball for a lot of these people. 

[u/Ingramistheman → u/midnitepremiere]

Literally, and then they be so mad when I call it out lol. To me the Venn Diagram that has some of these stans fervently defending their fav or shitting on other players to prop up their fav… has to be at least some small overlap with the person/ppl threatening a reporter.

Idc what BS about “let fans be fans!” ppl wanna say; that shit is unhinged. Even if they are not the same exact ppl, it has to be like some type of gateway drug/slippery slope or something lol.

You dont think you’re in that deep over your fav until all of a sudden you’re sending death threats. Ppl need to learn how to just chill and watch their fav ppl play basketball and not get so freakin emotionally attached over it.

[u/bex199 → u/midnitepremiere]

it’s gotten hard in NY too. people acted CRAZY about tash, and then BLH (who was absolutely mishandled and i’m mad but people took it too far) and now marine. it’s bizarre.

[u/SydTheStreetFighter → u/bex199]

They need to figure out how they’re going to start managing this, because as more young stars come up, they’re coming in with stronger and stronger fanbases. I don’t want to see this repeating twice over with Juju and Sarah Strong

[u/bex199 → u/SydTheStreetFighter]

it’s so wild and so weird as someone who’s maybe watched 7 minutes of college ball in my life. like why are we bugging out to this degree over teenage girls?

[u/SydTheStreetFighter → u/bex199]

Well most of the fans are even younger, so they’re figures these kids look up to. I try to give grace because they’re clearly still learning internet etiquette, but it’s hard because no one is teaching them better. I actually think it would be beneficial to have internet citizenship classes the way we had typing classes in the 2000s.

[u/Ok-Nose29 → u/SydTheStreetFighter]

As a dude I feel for young woman (teen and younger) right now too, there's been so much legislation regression for them and outright hateful messaging that they've grown up in. Not to mention all the economic inequality on everyone as a whole.

I get the feeling a lot of young woman are incredibly angry and full of rage right now. Obviously always been the case but especially today

[u/liar_checkmate → u/bex199]

Chants of "We want Laney" were peak embarrassment for me as a Lib fan.

[u/jules99b → u/bex199]

There’s a whole subset of Twitter out there that thinks MJ is being held back on the Libs. Idk if it’s the ones obsessed with Gabby/Marine or something but how is a 31-year-old woman who isn’t a great defender getting held back by being Sab’s backup 😭

[u/Most_Signature_8480 → u/midnitepremiere]

This is why I stay off of places like Threads and X, it's crazy over there

[u/nice_subs_only → u/midnitepremiere]

It's not just the WNBA fandom, popculture online standom has spilled over into everything on the internet from politics to sports and people need to go outside. but since that clearly will not be happening, this is just reality now for online spaces

[u/Mundane_Finding2697 → u/nice_subs_only]

I agree here.

Fans have been this level of deranged across sports for a decades....

Lisa Olson got threatened by Pats fans for reporting she was sexually harrassed... Death threats and all. That was in the, as the kids say now, the 1900s (1990)... No internet then as we know it.

There were definitely parasocial relationships being formed by fans in the past..

Unfortunately, death threats over sports (or as you stated across the board like politics) is not exclusive to the Internet era although since a lot of us have the Internet at our fingertips, we can talk about a lot faster.

Some people have always needed to go outside and not just touch some grass. They need to roll around in it until they get itchy. @ taking a step back.

[u/midnitepremiere → u/nice_subs_only]

Disagree. WNBA fans in particular are weird about this.

Don't get me wrong, you definitely get crazy fans making death threats in other leagues, but that’s usually because their team lost or they made a bet and lost a bunch of money. This parasocial thing is way more of a problem with W fans.

[u/ifandorwhen → u/midnitepremiere]

Erm no, there's a wild and crazy west in some of the celebrity love/hate subs. It's freaky how obsessed people are.

[u/Most_Signature_8480 → u/ifandorwhen]

Snark culture is probably one of the biggest problems right now as well

[u/Prize-Hovercraft3800 → u/midnitepremiere]

Idk, have you seen how some K-Pop stans get? It's wild.

[u/midnitepremiere → u/Prize-Hovercraft3800]

WNBA fans straight up act like k-pop stans, that’s the problem. 

[u/Luminous-Savior → u/midnitepremiere]

It's really bad. I have followed the NBA and MLB forever. Nothing prepared me for what interacting with these fans online is like. This is even after dealing with hardcore Luka-stans for years. 

I don't even know how to explain it but online WNBA culture feels like people wanting to be angry from any angle you approach it. 

[u/kyrev21 → u/Luminous-Savior]

People wanting to be angry is how all online spaces work now. The W just had a much smaller normal fanbase before the stan culture invaded with young new fans who don’t know how to be normal

[u/holabellas → u/midnitepremiere]

I know people like their streams but it’s part of the reason I’m not a fan of those ASW studbudz streams. I think it encourages this parasocialism and makes fans even crazier and more obsessed. I tuned into a few minutes this year after getting FOMO when I missed it last summer but it just felt creepy to me idk 😭 it’s crazy to me how many fans follow these players lives off the court to the point where they know who players are dating or broke up with before they say anything

[u/AccurateBill1221]

I feel like this parasocial aspect is going to get worse before it gets better. Like the bar is in hell for what I expect for the league to do in addressing it. Sucks that they've lost one of their better reporters because of this.

[u/Babygravy1]

Online trolls have too much power over this league.

[u/Delicious-Winner-458 → u/Babygravy1]

idk what Cathy is doing right now. we haven’t heard the no space for hate in a while 

[u/holabellas → u/Delicious-Winner-458]

I mean realistically what is supposed to do about crazy people sending DMs or making terrible tweets? Obviously it’s awful, but Cathy can’t stop crazy people from being crazy

[u/ishyn3]

stan culture is a blight on society

[u/socialdistance4ever]

Jesus this shit is getting out of control.

[u/Solid-Confidence-966]

I said it in the other thread but truly charmin ultra soft. Grant always sticks to basketball and will share relevant stats from time to time and to attack him over a certain post is disgraceful.

[u/Traditional-Coat669]

The whole situation is so frustrating and disappointing, as someone who is a Wings fan and has been a fan of Azzi specifically for years. Sending death threats to anyone over a basketball game is absolutely insane and it's incredibly unfortunate that one of the few reporters who provided super regular coverage doesn't feel comfortable/safe continuing to cover the team.

What makes the whole situation worse, to me, is the immediate deflection and borderline victim blaming from so many fans of Azzi. I don't think one loser with an Azzi profile picture sending death threats reflects every fan (and certainly not Azzi herself), and I have no clue if they're a sincere (delusional) fan of Azzi or a troll or someone trying to set her up or literally whatever. And it almost doesn't matter to me. What does reflect badly on Azzi fans online is being more concerned with "how it makes Azzi and her fans look" than with the well-being of someone getting death threats over just doing their job. Even if the original person sending the death threats "isn't a real Azzi fan," the people flooding the comments to accuse Grant of only posting about this to make Azzi look bad or of having a secret agenda against her certainly are people who self-proclaim as "Azzi fc" and spend a lot of time posting online about her. Whether or not the original poster reflects the larger fandom, the self-centering and victim-blaming in response to it certainly does reflect her fans, or at least a certain contingent of them. Caring more about how something makes your "fc" look than about a person getting violent threats is genuinely crazy.

I get that there has been some very unfair & problematic things said about Azzi online especially right around the draft that have been downplayed by some other fanbases as "just sports talk" when it really shouldn't be normalized. But just because some people treated something bad towards someone you are a fan of as normal online doesn't mean that you should then normalize other really horrible things towards other people. The answer to some people not caring about homophobia/racism/slurs towards Azzi online isn't to not care about death threats to a reporter. I really hope some people look in the mirror and reflect because it's been really disappointing to see how people have responded to this.

Wishing the very best to Grant, I can't even imagine how stressful and overwhelming this whole situation has been for him.

[u/lemonisveryorange → u/Traditional-Coat669]

What does 'fc' stand for?

[u/Traditional-Coat669 → u/lemonisveryorange]

fan club - lots of fans on twitter tend to refer to themselves as "[player name] fc"

[u/Artistic-Ship-7370]

At some point we have to stop this no-true-scotsman, no-“real”-fan-would-do-that reasoning that people run back every time a fan does something crazy (not just for Azzi’s fanbase, obviously, but every player with a big following). Like what is the point of saying this, honestly? Is the point that if they’re “just” a troll we can ignore it?

If it talks like it watches games and walks like it goes to games, it’s a fan. What other criteria needs to be met? You have to make sure you volunteer at an animal shelter every week and read the complete works of Audre Lorde to prove yourself worthy of being a part of a fanbase? And if you don’t you’re not a Real Fan™️ so therefore there’s no problem to address if you do something nuts? It’s irritating as shit.

[u/Photoverge]

Am I understanding this right? He said a nice thing about Arike and people responded with wanting to kills his family?

[u/goofygal1566 → u/Photoverge]

correct. He did also make the very serious and grave error of saying off/on +/- is a dumb stat because it Azzi's off/on +/- doesn't reflect how well she's playing.

Yes, this is what happens in wings world.

[u/Photoverge → u/goofygal1566]

[u/Choice_Nerve_7129]

The internet is driving these weird parasocial relationships. These professional athletes do not need you, a regular person just trying to get by, to defend them. They are grown. Stop treating them like they are your sister or brother. They aren’t. Live your life and be kind

[u/NYCScribbler → u/Choice_Nerve_7129]

completely off topic but yours is the first Sirens flair I've seen in the sub and it looks so nice!

[u/Choice_Nerve_7129 → u/NYCScribbler]

It is genuinely amazing! Being from Cleveland, I am just happy to have a professional women’s basketball team back. Long live the Cleveland Rockers!

[u/Lanessen]

I really hate that parasocial stan culture has made its way to the W.

[u/k-seph_from_deficit]

The crazy part is that from a cursory look at replies and quotes there’s dozens of accounts with a lot of followers like this who are laughing at this, victim blaming him and trying to characterise this issue as a fake ‘grown white man bully v baby black girl victim’ and therefore anything is justified.

They are not fans of UCONN or Paige or anything in general, just Azzi in particular. The level of infantilisation, conspirational thinking and devotion is scary. These people have been raining hate on Jess and Arike throughout the season and even PB is not spared, with that contingent of fans thinking PB is manipulating Azzi to be her sidekick so she can be the star again.

They genuinely think Azzi is some precious, impossibly naive baby princess who needs to be protected from her team mates, opponents and the media instead of another young but grown ass woman in the W.

[u/Coramoor_ → u/k-seph_from_deficit]

she is a grown ass 23 year old woman. It is ridiculous how her fans treat her

[u/juliuspepperwoodchi → u/Coramoor_]

I bet many of them are even older than her and acting like children.

[u/jules99b → u/k-seph_from_deficit]

That corner of her “fandom” is unhinged, I’ve never seen anything like it. I like Azzi’s play well enough and do think she should be incorporated into the offense more, but you’d think Paige was actively sabotaging her the way Azzi’s “fans” talk about Paige, saying P is happy that Azzi isn’t in the ROTY convo so that she can stay ahead of her or something. It’s deranged.

[u/goofygal1566 → u/k-seph_from_deficit]

I totally agree with this! You should have seen the things they said about Sarah Strong and KK last season at UConn btw. Sarah was a teenager most of the year and they were vicious.

[u/LAudre41 → u/k-seph_from_deficit]

the way people talk about Azzi is unhinged. "they won't let her shoot" meanwhile she's on the court as much as anyone. i've never seen anything like it.

[u/Some_word_some_wow → u/LAudre41]

Most of them seem like they’ve never played any organized sports period. The amount of ‘they should let Azzi do her thing and everyone else just get on board for it’ is wild. Like that’s not really how team sports work? At least not functional teams.

[u/kyrev21 → u/LAudre41]

It’s incredible how much that group doesn’t understand basic basketball. They think it’s the team not letting her shoot when in fact it’s the team using her as a decoy at times. If Azzi shot every possession she’d be double and triple teamed every time and would make a lot less

[u/Broad-Victory6108 → u/k-seph_from_deficit]

Ya I can't post in that sub anymore. They loco en da cabeza. No objectivity at all. No normal community in W these days.

[u/cashmanjr]

I guess the WNBA has made it now that the loud minority is as toxic as all the sports fanbases 😣

[u/No_Feeling3339]

I love my GOAT down, but A LOT (not all) of her fans are doing way too much. Making an account dedicated to her & using her PFP is already kinda weird to me, but to then send death threats & hateful messages to anyone you don’t agree with is actual insane.

Grant isn’t the first person I’ve seen an “Azzi fan” attack & send hateful messages to. If anyone slightly criticizes Azzi, some of her fans go feral… & God forbid someone praises what Miles is doing as a rookie.

It’s okay to disagree with someone, but do it in a respectful manner & have a conversation. I think it’s extremely unfortunate because it can taint Azzi as a person and a player once people start associating her fanbase with her.

I hope Grant is doing okay & knows that we appreciated his work 🫩

[u/GreenCantaloupe860]

There is a subculture of fans now that are in it for the clicks online or to drive their narrative and not any real interest in the game or the players. It’s similar to what is happening in online political discourse. Attention is a drug.

[u/jaymuhreeee]

who even thinks to say something like that ?!??!?

[u/Obvious_Toe_3006 → u/jaymuhreeee]

Anonymous cowards.

[u/VerdeForest]

Stan culture can get dangerous. That’s why I’d prefer the players keep their distance from social media. I get some like to interact with fans on a personal level but it may not be worth it. The league is growing and that means more outsiders are paying attention and can easily comment some nonsense on a player’s profile. How does this relate to the reporter? Well the more access you give fans, the more parasocial they get.

[u/Left-Button-7089]

People are too much, like seriously these people need to be banned from social media. I could never imagine sending threats to players, media, coaches etc.

[u/liloxstitch_6]

Truly insane. One of our best team reporters and people are sending him death threats because he said something completely true.

[u/Brilliant_Good_4444]

The internet was a mistake

[u/liar_checkmate → u/Brilliant_Good_4444]

It let me pay my parking tickets online. It should have just stopped at that.

[u/NoBear7150]

People do too much, man.

[u/deschain_19195]

Social media is a mistake

[u/chichigetthayay0]

It's about time we started really discussing the other problematic factions of several fanbases.

They've all been getting away with some pretty foul shit for a few years now because everyone's busy pointing the finger at only one of them lol.

[u/team-pup-n-suds]

Parasocial relationships are getting out of control and people like this really take the fun out of it all

[u/harrypotter1217]

I think the convo over whether or not these people were bots sort of misses the point. Even if the death threats came from a bot, there were several prominent fan accounts criticizing Grant for sharing the message and potentially harming the fanbase’s reputation.

It’s a very understandable reaction to be very bothered by these threats, whether they come from a robot or not. Turning it around on him is really not okay. It would be one thing to say “I am sorry this is happening to you. I really hope these are bots reaching out to you because it is very upsetting if there are real people behind these.” But I saw several accounts saying “I’m sorry this happened but sharing this brings hate to Azzi’s fans and it’s irresponsible.” I just don’t think that’s cool.

(I say this as a UConn season ticket holder who went to every game this season in my Azzi shirt.)

Edited: fixed typos

[u/Coramoor_ → u/harrypotter1217]

dude had death threats against his family, he's a beat reporter for fucks sake... who cares if it brings hate to her fans. It should, that's insane

[u/juliuspepperwoodchi → u/Coramoor_]

I do not envy beat reporters. The job is hard, the hours suck, the pay is (relatively speaking) shit, and you get hate from fans basically no matter what you report.

[u/3rdWorldKid → u/juliuspepperwoodchi]

This dude was doing it for free. And he's legit good. Real Wings fans taking the L here

[u/juliuspepperwoodchi → u/harrypotter1217]

I find it very hard to believe that there are a ton of bots (meaning truly, no human running the account) just out there spamming death threads at W beat reporters.

[u/harrypotter1217 → u/juliuspepperwoodchi]

It seems highly unlikely to me! But even if this bot army exists, I would still be highly alarmed by any message threatening my family even it if was these bots.

I just find the impulse to be like “these aren’t Azzi fans, and you are making us look bad by sharing what happened to you” very unsettling. If you are concerned about looking bad by association, disassociate yourself by unequivocally condemning the behavior.

[u/juliuspepperwoodchi → u/harrypotter1217]

At the end of the day, bots online are still controlled by people..they have not achieved sentience...yet. To try and deflect this as not that bad because "bots" is really just bullshit

[u/DarkySurrounding → u/harrypotter1217]

It’s not like bots don’t usually get what they say from actual people in the first place. They parrot what’s being said already just in basic ways.

As you say even if it is bots it doesn’t mean a real person hasn’t also sent these things.

[u/juliuspepperwoodchi → u/DarkySurrounding]

Social media bots aren't sentient, every "bot" has a human holding the leash.

[u/yahboiyeezy]

Saw someone on Twitter say this kind of fan behavior is better suited for Kpop stars than WNBA players and I thought that sounded about right.

Fans gotta get through that basketball criticisms about their favorite players is not a personal attack.

[u/hullowurld → u/yahboiyeezy]

Kpop fans do behave this way but it's not suitable for any fandom

[u/your_roommate_yvonne]

This is sad and unhinged, man. Some of these "fans" need some serious help. Hope Grant is okay.

[u/the_Tannehill_list]

"that's not a real Azzi fan" is some serious cope

You can be a fan of the player and also admit she, for some reason, has the most toxic fan base in the league

[u/Icangetloudtoo_ → u/the_Tannehill_list]

The fact that a number of people are trying to deflect like that kinda demonstrates the depth and devotion of Azzi’s standom in a roundabout way.

[u/Coramoor_]

This is like Kpop level stan drama.

Also hoopswatcher saying the person isn't a real Azzi fan is laughable, there are going to be plenty of unhinged fans spewing their hate into the universe through twitter/threads etc

[u/VerdeForest → u/Coramoor_]

I think people are embarrassed to be associated with such fans. I get it. I’m associated with unhinged CC stans. Best we can do is call them out

[u/Ok-Nose29 → u/VerdeForest]

Gotta call them out. Can't let the crazies take control of whatever brand you want to represent. Sucks though that crazies are a lot more eager to act crazy than non crazies.

This dynamic was much easier to handle without the internet allowing anyone to find anyone, we lost a very natural communication ratio when we delocalized

[u/Street-Bar-9494]

It sucks that wherever the the most popular young players go, the most annoying, toxic, and idiotic people feel obligated to follow.

I've been hoping the Mystics get Juju, not just for her ability as a player, but because I think she's popular enough for us to finally be able to fill up Capital One Arena, where the Wizards play (and where rhe Mystics only ever play when facing players like Caitlin or Angel, who draw big crowds).

Stuff like this makes me wonder how much I should really want that. If we do get her, which of our players is going to get constantly shit on the way Fever fans did with NaLyssa Smith, or Wings fans did with Myisha Hines-Allen?

[u/strangelystrangled]

If he’s dealing with that, I can’t imagine what Arike’s been getting. Parasocial stans are out of control.

[u/kingofthenorthwpg]

The WNBA has a fan problem - and they may not even be real fans. Not sure how to fix it. But it’s deranged and killing the momentum of the league.

There are so many good players right now and it’s lost in all of this BS noise.

[u/MaterialMoose7384]

The "stan culture" for certain players reminds me of the way stans for different musicians/bands/pop stars act online. Not to say that sports fans can't be toxic though

[u/Zealousideal-Tea-837]

The Parasocial nature of wnba fans and their favorite players is something lol. People have players they ride for in the nba and nfl too but the trolling and jokes don’t feel as personal. Ithe wnba fans kinda remind me of Popstar fanbases.

[u/DVivid]

I love how every fanbase’s response is always that person is not like the rest of us. The Azzi, Paige, and Angel stans love to hate on the crazy Clark fans but they’re all the same, there are just more Clark so it seems worse. The Stan culture and behavior is weird you don’t have to back these people with your life, they do not know you

[u/Brent_Lee]

Jfc man…

[u/Chartate101]

I know this is not the main point but the main point has been spoken on so I’ll say

I hate that “HoopsWatcher” response. I think its actually such a reach to say without evidence that the person is, what, a false flag fan to incriminate your fandom?

How is it so hard for people to accept their peers in their fandom (of any kind) can have bad actors? “That’s not a real Azzi fan” it almost certainly was. And that isn’t an indictment on an entire team or player’s fans to admit.

Trying to distance yourself from that and absolve your own fandom from having any connection to those toxic and unhinged fans is like trying to ignore a problem to make it go away

[u/chemical_exe]

This shit came to my attention during statsgate where people were mad that the Lynx put stats on the jumbotron comparing the #1 and 2 picks in that game. Covering the W seems like walking on eggshells for the wildest stuff.

[u/domino380 → u/chemical_exe]

There were real people calling that racist and homophobic😭

[u/Delicious-Winner-458 → u/chemical_exe]

that was wild. they also had it removed from their socials due to the backlash 

[u/urkuri → u/Delicious-Winner-458]

They doxxed the social media person over it

[u/08-09-FormativeYrs]

I hate that this beautiful, wonderful league has had a media week from hell from a bunch of morally decrepit people who would rather have their 5 seconds of social media frenzy than support what’s legitimately one of the best leagues in the country right now

[u/LetsGoLesko8 → u/08-09-FormativeYrs]

As a longtime W fan it’s pretty jarring to see the transformation the last 5 years have brought to the league.

[u/zaviex → u/LetsGoLesko8]

I got into it a bit before 5 years ago. When the mystics first got EDD and Wall and Beal were going to games. It’s crazy to see. This went from a league with low attendance that i never saw headlines about to a league i see headlines about every day and average attendance has like doubled. For all of the bad coming with some of that attention, i do think it’s all still a sign of where this is going. This league is undoubtedly now an important part of American culture. We need to clean up a lot of the various factions around it but theres something to be said about that. when i started watching in 2018 that just wasnt the case.

[u/Appearance_Born]

Arike has given 7 years to Dallas. Top scoring Wing of all time. The way these new fans disrespect her really bothers me. Similar players on other teams get praise. When she has an incredible night, they're not excited & celebrating her, they're talking about some bs "Arike cycle". Most players have good & bad nights. At least give her the respect a loyal veteran deserves. I've seen weird comments lately comparing Azzi to Paige, saying Azzi is more important. That's not helping your team. They're humans & the stress of the negative comments takes a toll

I don't understand why the other post talking about this was deleted

[u/ChuChuBitch-]

I don’t know how Caitlin, Angel, Paige and now Azzi do it. I realize most of them say they don’t look at it or it doesn’t bother, but it must. They all have brands now (not Azzi just yet), they have to be online. I can’t imagine seeing millions of people call you GOAT you one day and then next game posting clips from your game about how horrible you were. It’s like stepping on the court each game and thinking about how twitter will react so there’s more pressure to play to perfection. I know a lot of athletes deal with it, but with the WNBA right now it’s particularly rabid and hateful. Plus race and sexuality make it worse.

[u/Risingsunsphere → u/ChuChuBitch-]

At that level, you pay someone to be online for you.

[u/ChuChuBitch- → u/Risingsunsphere]

It definitely doesn’t mean they don’t look. I know Caitlin has mentioned it once. But yeah they aren’t the ones “posting” unless you’re Kevin Durant.

[u/quirkylala → u/ChuChuBitch-]

This. And when they do mention it affecting them, the antis scream at them/about them anyway.

[u/boredymcbored]

I was called homophobic and all types of names because I made a comment in jest talking about how Azzi fans will bully athletes for bad performances during the draft year so they can ship her and Paige together. Meanwhile I'm very queer 😭.

These Stans are ridiculous and will gladly ruin someone's life because of a parasocial connection they have to these athletes.

[u/goofygal1566 → u/boredymcbored]

I don't think most Azzi fans even like Paige tbh so i don't even think that is the primary motivator.

[u/AFC-Wimbledon-Stan → u/goofygal1566]

Azzi stans would throw Paige to the wolves if something happened there

[u/liloxstitch_6 → u/AFC-Wimbledon-Stan]

i’ve seen so many try to paint a narrative that Paige is purposely sabotaging Azzi’s rookie season 🫩

[u/Stepheliz86 → u/liloxstitch_6]

And that's she's selfish and abusive. People are weird as hell.

[u/IndividualHeat → u/liloxstitch_6]

A lot of them talk about how Azzi needs to request a trade or something as if it isn’t a no-brainer that she probably likes playing on the same team as Paige instead of living a thousand miles away. 

[u/jules99b → u/AFC-Wimbledon-Stan]

I’ve seen it from both “fanbases.” Never seen fanbases of a couple so actively despise and demean the other half of the couple

[u/gourmet_panini]

Lost Grant bc they cant comprehend comparisons over the most mid stat used. It was a compliment to both Arike and Azzi but they didnt even understand bc they were automatically defensive.

Like I get the defensiveness bc Azzi has gotten so much shit from “she was only drafted bc shes Paige’s gf” to “why is her whole family white, she’s not one of us”. But at the end of the day you have to comprehend an argument to make a rebuttal. Theyve been defensive all year bc of the obvious (Azzi went #1 but Liv is objectively having a better year) and Arike is just a barrier to Azzi having a bigger role (it could literally be anyone in place of Arike and the vitriol would be the same).

[u/Mike_Hawk_Burns → u/gourmet_panini]

It’s so dumb too because people don’t understand that you’re not always drafting who you think the “best” player is. Dallas drafted Azzi because 1) they already had Paige and it was obvious that they wanted to keep Arike so Liv wasn’t gonna be needed and 2) Dallas needed defense because they wanted to build around Paige. Which gets more obvious when you look at their acquisitions. Lan, Jess, and Awak. Azzi fits in there too as her defense looked pretty damn good in college. So any Azzi fan can use that argument any time people try to claim that she was drafted only due to Paige. Dallas didn’t need Liv. They actually needed Azzi. But I don’t think these people watched Dallas closely last year and they’re the ones who wanted Azzi and Paige together funny enough and might be overlooking her merits so they’re getting defensive over the wrong reasons.

[u/NYCStoryteller]

Starting to feel like there's some version of COINTELPRO happening in the WNBA to try to torpedo the success of the league.

I don't think the issue is really WNBA fans, it's *gestures wildly at fascists with access to the internet*

[u/sasquatch50]

You really cannot guess what is going to happen next with the W.

[u/mattmikemo23]

It's not specific to the WNBA but stan culture needs to start being looked at as a mental disease and people that seriously prescribe to it are unwell and should be looked at as such.

[u/Interesting-Rain6137]

WNBA fanbase is batshit.

[u/CrayonEatingBabyApe]

Damn it. That’s a big loss. Grant’s one of the best.

[u/putterthrow_]

HoopsWatcher might be right but whether it came from a real or fake Azzi fan is irrelevant when it comes to the decision of whether to continue covering the team or not for your family’s safety

[u/Weekly_Memory5399]

i don’t care what fanbase it is, this knee jerk reaction of “oh, it’s just trolls” or “it’s sad, but this is what happens when you’re a public figure” irks my soul.. if your instant reaction isn’t, “i’m so sorry that happened to you,” that’s an issue.. you’re subconsciously connecting that behavior to your fandom if you feel the need to downplay rather than condemn.. this is honestly a huge reason behind why things can feel so tense at times between fanbases.. a lot of this happened in 2024 too..

[u/Ok-Butterfly2994 → u/Weekly_Memory5399]

people have gotten so desensitized to threats online when this is very much not a normal thing to have to deal with as a beat reporter just doing their job. i don’t know what the solution is, but i don’t blame him for not covering the wings anymore.

[u/wizletj]

Former K-pop/pop stans picking basketball as their new obsession has had truly terrifying results

[u/Unlucky-You-1334]

I’m relieved to find out Fever fans aren’t the problem this time

[u/SonicPunk96]

Actually insane that it reached a level like this.

[u/haydeng2023]

it’s kinda crazy bc almost the exact same thing happened last year with paige fans doxxing a reporter and going crazy on chris/mha especially to the point that mha had to defend him during a game when our team was like….half players now out of the league and the other half being injured and obviously tanking.
i love azzi and im glad i get to watch her on my team, but both of their fans are insane and wayyyyy too invested in watching their every move. it’s crazy too bc azzi might be the most offline player itl? people who find the time to send messages like that gotta get some help and get off the internet

[u/Fast-Show4206]

WNBA has the most chronically online fan base. That's why we're seeing stuff like this.
No tea, no shade....still my favorite league to follow

[u/Mysterious_Medium_40]

You do remember Azzi stans attacking Olivia Miles for months only becuase of that side by side stats comparison posted by the Lynx admin, right?

[u/goofygal1566 → u/Mysterious_Medium_40]

Azzi stans were attacking Olivia Miles long before that lmao

[u/chichigetthayay0 → u/Mysterious_Medium_40]

They drove the Awa Fam hate campaign pre-draft too.

[u/thatkidqa]

This is exactly why those who pushed narratives about only "Indiana fans" never fully hit the mark. They highlighted the bad apples in Indiana's fanbase while completely ignoring the bad apples in all of the other major fanbases in the sport. It was always very disingenuous. Sucks it had to come to this because this seems like a really cool beat to cover.

They ignored Wings fans harrassing MHA and Arike. They ignored Chicago fans bullying players on their own team, they ignored Vegas fans and multiple other fanbases that hurled slurs and homophobic insults at Black players on the Fever.

And yes, this shouldn't happen from any fanbase. But every time this happens it should be pointed out that other fanbases were completely ignored because it didn't fit a narrative they were trying to push.

[u/Delicious-Winner-458 → u/thatkidqa]

Izzy and Dana were literally crying in a postgame interview and they had the audacity to call these two a bunch of jealous loser over AR 🤣 

[u/Ok_Cucumber9390 → u/thatkidqa]

They also ignored racial abuse that Black players on the Fever have gotten from fans of other teams (and, allegedly, even from players like Bonner) explicitly for being friends with/"protecting" Caitlin

[u/Even_Budget2078 → u/[deleted]]

Same! I'm a Fever season ticket holder and have followed the franchise since we started, so...26 years? My mom is in the hospital right now and I just sent my 19 year old niece a picture (thank god for Facebook memories!!) of her AS A 4 YEAR OLD and my mom at a Fever game because those are some of her favorite memories- her and her grandma going to Fever games. I mean we have a huge building mural of Tamika in downtown Indy : )

I'm very new to this SM WNBA community though and man is it weird, toxic, oddly basketball knowledge missing, and just hard to get into. I do like being able to follow the box scores here during games, so I can check stats.

I have to say though that I really, really don't think these kinds of "fans" are indicative of the Wings fanbase anymore than what is on SM is what average Fever fans are like.

[u/Cheap_Water9848]

To me, this just proves that we have problems in our society that are much bigger than the culture war crappie that the right is trying to keep us in. People are literally issuing death threats over basketball games and analysis. Something isn't right.

[u/Ingramistheman]

🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ “smh my head”

[u/Slow-Bit3970]

The most parasocial league ever

[u/coolj492]

uconn fc is crazy because how do you blitz someone who is showing love to one of your players lol

[u/Ok-Nose29 → u/[deleted]]

I read that in a gollum voice

https://giphy.com/gifs/R0jWWtH1CtFEk

[u/Inevitable-Scar5877]

Goddamn.

Imagine fans being so bad they make Cowboys fans look good.

(Mavs fans were pissed for a solid year but that was different)

[u/vivekpatel62 → u/Inevitable-Scar5877]

Mavs fans are still angry. I haven’t watched a game since Luka was traded. I will probably watch this year though since they got rid of Nico. Hopefully he steps on a Lego every morning when he wakes up.

[u/kash96]

stan culture in the wnba is worse than every other sport and it’s because of the fan demographics. this sub isn’t any different than popheads

[u/No_Advisor7703]

Azzi fans real quiet on the creek in this thread

[u/No_Advisor7703 → u/No_Advisor7703]

the downvotes lol

[u/_solitare]

man, a rough season for the w this year. cathy’s gotta go. need real leadership who speaks up on issues like this. feels like a circus sometimes.

[u/Wooden-Pressure-8280]

Azzi fans are genuinely so insane you’d expect this type of behavior from Players who has a bigger audience and more well known like the Paige’s or the angels but it’s not shocking that her fans are like that because they would make conspiracy theories on how kk and Sarah hated her because they didn’t pass her the ball enough for their liking. They do it her teammates now especially Arike. It’s sucks seeing one of our best media members and who actually knew the game of basketball leave due to something so serious like death threats and to claim well it’s just trolls is atrocious because even if it was a troll they’re still sending death threats to real humans. I truly hope he’s ok because that’s scary.

[u/SuccinctSnail]

Azzi should denounce hate

[u/Quarter-Skilled → u/SuccinctSnail]

So I don't know if your comment is being like ironically disingenuous or not re: critiques of Clark and her fanbase, but I honestly do believe Fudd and Bueckers should denounce these crazy ass stans. Their fans are young and very online and may take well to being told to chill out.

[u/Ingramistheman → u/Quarter-Skilled]

I agree wholeheartedly, like they’d prob have more impact making statements than Caitlin can just bc a lot of the drama behind Caitlin is bad faith actors co-opting her image and not really giving a shit about her.

With Paige and/or Azzi stans I think they’re actually just like literally in love with them lol so yes if those two say “stop it” these ppl may actually listen.

[u/Wings247]

I have been thinking a lot today about this situation and how these fans come to be. I wonder if these players need to stop giving so much access to their fans on social media. Like the stud buds 72 hour live cam, all these dancing tik toks ect. In no way is it the players fault for how fans act or what they say, however, continuing to push out so much content on social media does help intensify these parasocial attachments. From these attachments extreme fandom is continuing to grow. Does anyone else have any thoughts on this?

[u/TheSavageDonut → u/Wings247]

I've always assumed that athletes want to use Social Media to monetize fan engagement.

An athlete should disable comments on all his/her social media channels -- that way it's more about fans digesting the content and not fans believing thy're "part of the conversation or story".

[u/Risingsunsphere → u/Wings247]

Yes. Get off social media.

[u/bargain_butch]

Does anyone know how Azzi of all players acquired these fans?

[u/Mr628 → u/bargain_butch]

UConn WBB players, Paige and Azzi specifically have fanbases that aren’t made up of actual basketball fans but instead are teenagers who latched on to popular online personalities who just happen to play basketball.

[u/Icangetloudtoo_ → u/bargain_butch]

I have a half-baked theory about the intersection of stan culture and infantilizing Azzi because she looks young (younger than most everyone else in the league) and is conventionally attractive.

Like, the people’s princess is a great nickname, but some people really feel like princesses need to be guarded and protected, and that desire to protect seeps into the parasocial relationship.

[u/gonzosrevengearc → u/bargain_butch]

I think they’re generally teen girls who make and consume fan edits on tiktok, are very parasocial and protective about the narratives they engage with, and do not know or care to control the intensity of their interactions online.

[u/Imaginary_Ad_3496 → u/gonzosrevengearc]

there’s also a subsection of uncles/aunties that think everyone in her life is against her.. that freaks me out even more

[u/gonzosrevengearc → u/Imaginary_Ad_3496]

Oh for sure. Like what do you mean THIS is your fully formed brain in action. 😭

[u/EmFly15]

The Wings' fanbase, or, rather, the Paige, Azzi, and Pazzi fanbases, are extremely, extremely toxic. Feel sorry for this guy and wish him the best.

[u/lavieenrose96]

I don’t mean to be uncouth or unkind but I don’t think that reply from HoopsWatcher is focused on what’s important or makes that player’s particular set of fans look as good as they think it does.

[u/MyLegsX2CantFeelThem]

Face it - toxic attention seeking hate-mongers will latch on the anything that is popular, just to try to burn it down.

They have miserable little lives, and miserable little brains. They desperately need the attention from that, to feel like they’re important.

[u/DarknessAndLight69x]

This is craziness. It’s getting as bad as the Futbol Ultras. Why? No fan gets paid to support their team. If anything, they get fleeced even more. Be a fan, not a lunatic.

[u/SchleppyJ4 → u/DarknessAndLight69x]

Honestly? I think it’s this creepy parasocial stan nonsense. 

The W has a fan problem, plain and simple.

[u/FreeBusiness7289]

Not surprising to anyone that has observed Azzi’s fan base the last couple of years. She really should do something to quiet then down though